The military is showing off what its fleet of Chinook helicopters can do, from firefighting to rescue to combat roles.
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00:00A CH-47 Chinook helicopter lowers a water bucket into a reservoir in southern Taiwan.
00:10Though these military workhorses are most visible around National Day in October,
00:14when they hoist the national flag over Taipei,
00:16on this occasion the military is showing off the sorts of tasks
00:19its fleet of eight CH-47 Chinooks performs for the rest of the year.
00:23One of its duties is hauling water in buckets like these,
00:26some holding up to 5,000 liters at a time.
00:28Taiwan does have occasional forest fires,
00:31and the ability to haul so much water made these helicopters invaluable
00:35during disasters like the 2021 Yushan Fire.
00:39The crew doing a mock exercise for news cameras makes it look easy,
00:43but just attaching a load to the helicopter's underside takes practice and a coordinated effort.
00:58Though used till now in peacetime,
01:02the military says these helicopters are prepared for combat duty as well,
01:06both as logistical support and on the front line.
01:09The military hopes this demonstration will show its readiness whenever duty calls,
01:30for firefighting, for rescue, and even for war.
01:33Leon Lian and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.